Media player is an electronic device capable of storing and playing media files (i.e., files that include data that may be rendered, presented, viewed, propagated, or otherwise used to present content in various types of media formats) in one or more formats. Media formats include audio, video, haptic, digital, graphic, or other types of media files (“files”). Audio media formats can include MP3, Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), Waveform (WAV), Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Ogg Vorbis, or Speex. Video media formats can include MPEG, AVI, DivX, or XviD. Likewise, digital image media formats can include BMP, JPEG, or GIF. In some conventional media players, storage capacity may be extended by using memory cards, such as a Smart Flash, Compact flash, or a memory stick, such as those developed by Sony Corporation®, SanDisk®, and others. In other conventional solutions, a hard disk-based digital audio player may be used, which stores media files in an internal hard disk drive, such as the iPod® Shuffle developed by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.
Some conventional media players use read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), flash memory, and random access memory (RAM). ROM, PROM, or flash memory may be used to store a portion of firmware, including instructions for booting the media player. RAM may be used by a processor or other components of a media player to store program instructions or transient data during operation. However, conventional media players require a long boot process to load an operating system (OS) and to initialize various system devices. Further, if the media player unexpectedly loses power, any unsaved information will be lost. Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is the most commonly used memory technology in media players due to its density and speed. However, DRAM requires frequent refresh cycles that may reduce performance. Flash memories are much slower than RAMs, and may be used for storing media file data to be loaded into system memory implemented by RAM. Flash memories require a flash file system for read/write capabilities. The flash file system may be included in the OS, which may lengthen the boot process even further. Each of the above-described memories has different capabilities and requirements. However, conventional memories also have unique architectural schemas and require a unique semiconductor fabrication process. Subsequently, each type of the above-described memories is usually enclosed in an individual package. Having several different memories therefore requires additional size and power consumption and results in different types of media players. Continuing efforts are being made to improve memory interfaces.